Happenings on the Hill
December graduates
SMU in December awarded 950 degrees to approximately 733 students from the university’s undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.
The graduates included:
• 213 earning multiple degrees
• 113 international students from 31 countries
• 27 student-athletes
• 19 military veterans
SMU alumnus Clark Hunt, CEO of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs and the chairman and CEO of the Major League Soccer’s FC Dallas, served as featured speaker.
Dinosaur discovery
With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, Epapatelo otyikokolo, a newly identified genus and species of pterosaurs, probably hunted fish similarly to large modern-day seabirds.
“They likely spent time flying above open-water environments and diving to feed, like gannets and brown pelicans do today,” SMU professor emeritus Louis L. Jacobs said.
The renowned paleontologist worked with SMU research associate Michael J. Polcyn on an international team that identified the flying reptile of the dinosaur age in the same region of Angola as fossils from large marine animals on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History.
“This new discovery gives us a much better understanding of the ecological role of the creatures that were flying above the waves of Bentiaba, on the west coast of Africa, approximately 71.5 million years ago,” Polcyn said.
“Epapatelo” from the Angolan Nhaneca dialect means “wing,” while “otyikokolo” means “lizard.”
In the zone
The Mustang football season wrapped up in December, but that didn’t preclude an early January kickoff.
Demolition for expansion and renovation of Gerald J. Ford Stadium kicked off on Jan. 3, with construction of the Garry Weber End Zone Complex expected to finish in August of 2024.
The new south end zone complex will connect the stadium’s existing east and west gate entries and provide additional seating, suites, and concessions.
Its three levels will include new locker rooms, a weight room, meeting rooms, a full-team auditorium, and a kitchen and training table to support all 484 SMU student-athletes. The new facility will also house football coaches, support staff, and video and recruiting services.
“I look forward to joining my fellow Mustangs in cheering on our team in these new spaces that we have created together as a community,” said former Mustang football letterman Garry A. Weber, class of ’58.
His namesake foundation launched fundraising for the project in January 2022 with a $50 million grant – the largest gift in the history of SMU Athletics.
Innovation leader
Suku Nair, a computer science and engineering leader who has been teaching and researching at SMU for more than 30 years, took on a new role for the university in December.
After serving as associate provost for research ad interim since June, he became SMU’s inaugural vice provost for research and chief innovation officer.
“We believe that Dr. Nair has demonstrated the vision to move SMU forward, expand research, innovation, and entrepreneurship through partnerships within and outside SMU, and initiate a strong organizational structure and service culture for SMU’s Office of Research,” provost Elizabeth G. Loboa said.
